Bux Finals Diary

[Black_White]

Sunday H/S Buckleys column;


"Our waiting game
15 September 2002 Sunday Herald Sun

SATURDAY: Exciting times. After the fantastic win the night before in Adelaide and the very necessary celebration of the result, it was back to business early the next morning. The boys rocked up to the foyer at 7am for a light rehab session. For most, it involved walking and stretching in the water, or a 4km run for those who either didn't play or did not get a full run.

The flight back was at 9am and everyone was looking forward to getting home, sitting back and watching the rest of the games unfold.

After a quick walk at Middle Park, Tania, myself and a mate, Rick, headed to the Beaconsfield to have a quiet meal and watch the Essendon-West Coast match.

We followed that up with a quiet dinner with friends at home, watching the Brisbane-Adelaide game.

SUNDAY: This morning was an opportunity to have a sleep in, something rarely afforded footballers on a weekend. We had a day away from the club and I filled it with a late brunch at Replete in Hawthorn.

Watched the footy once again that afternoon to make it four games in 36 hours. At about 5pm, I got itchy feet and went for a quick 4km run. After, I felt a lot better and was able to relax for the evening. It also gave Tania a chance to watch something other than football on television.

MONDAY: Back to business at 8am with an appointment with one of the club physios, David "Scruff" Francis, at Olympic Park. Besides my hammie and the US Open final, the main talk is about the impending birth of Scruff's second child. His wife, Sue, is about to burst, apparently. Stay tuned.

Weights took place at 11am followed by our standard video session. Analysis of areas of improvement, and the gameplan we went in with, result in a very positive attitude. Given that the following weekend is, in effect, a bye for us, the approach during our afternoon skills session was very individualised. This ensured the best recovery process for the players.

The media presence was not as evident as it had been the week before, but the diehard fans were there to yell encouragement and support. We know that besides our own agendas, many other people have hopes riding on our finals campaign.

TUESDAY: Our standard walk-in-the-water session at the St Kilda baths took place. After the cold and hot procedures and a shower, the boys split up for breaky at various venues. I'm one of the Don Camillo (Dom's) crew, which includes Ben Johnson, Anthony Rocca, Josh Fraser and a few others. We headed there for a quick breaky and a coffee.

Later that morning I was required to be at the filming of the Grand Final Footy Show opener at Tullamarine. I bumped into Eddie at the club and hitched a lift out with him. Very clever logic when you consider that Eddie arrives, does his bit and then leaves at these type of sessions. I was afforded the same luxury, cutting a three-hour stint by half, much to the chagrin of Garry Lyon and a few of the other boys.

That evening Tania and I headed to Sapore in St Kilda. It's handy, with close friends of ours - Pete, Sab and Joe - owning the place. This night we ate with Joe Brakisano, a longtime member of the Woodsmen, a coterie group at the club. I'm again reminded of the span of the club and the people we represent.

WEDNESDAY: The session on Wednesdays is normally closed to the public. During the finals, however, it has been open to our fans and anyone else who wants to have a look. Once again, weights in the morning were followed by lunch and then our skills session.

The boys are still ribbing Paul Licuria about his modesty. In an interview after the the weekend, he was asked how he felt about picking up 40 touches. "Aw, no, that must be a mistake, I don't think I had that many," he said. Scotty Cummings runs an offbeat fines system, and Lica copped $5 for being too self-effacing since the game.

A splinter faction has formed among the team in the latter half of the year. Most days between four and five o'clock at the Car Park Cafe in Kew, you can find Alan Didak, Jarrod Molloy and Mark Richardson having a coffee with "the Don", Rob Maschetti from Club 42 (another of the club's coterie groups). I get there occasionally.

That evening the weekly team dinner takes place at Dimattina's Restaurant in Lygon St. Usually 15 to 20 boys get there on any given Wednesday. Last week Ben Johnson was showing off his new car out the front. Windows down, music pumping, gold chain glistening in the light, and then he stalled it.

THURSDAY: This is a non-compulsory day. In other words Mick doesn't want to see us down at the club at all. A chance for all the boys to freshen up and attend to other areas of their lives.

I woke at 5.30am to do a TAC shoot at an Australia Post Office in the city before business hours. Kerrie Underhill, who works in marketing at the club, was my "manager for the event" and handled it very well.

Following this it was straight to Fox Footy for a few reads to camera. My duties included a quick interview of Patrick Smith from The Australian newspaper, a few Christmas messages, my thoughts on the AFL Players Association's MVP and playing in the finals. By 11.30 I was done and it was off to Dom's again for lunch.

A rare afternoon nap rounded the day off with a quiet night of quality time with Tania.

FRIDAY: Back at training and the intent of the day was to reproduce some form of game practice. A solid weights session was followed by a two-hour skills and running session that had the boys off the bit from beginning to end.

The carrot at the end of this one was the weekend to ourselves before Monday's session. After training, the boys scatter pretty quickly - they want to get away, relax and prepare bodies and minds for the challenges one week away.

Some have gone bush, Mansfield for Josh Fraser to work on the farm with his Dad. Ben Johnson is going shooting with his dog and a mate. A handful of boys are heading to James Podsiadly's house for a 21st barbecue and to watch the night game. I'm planning some golf and then to watch the game live with five other players.

Later that night, though, I sat back to watch the Port Adelaide-Essendon game at home with Geelong's Brenton Sanderson. He's just had an ankle operation, and wishes he and his team were still involved.

After Port's win it's down to five, and as you read this it's back to four. We are one of those teams and the opportunity in the next fortnight is not lost on any of us. These are indeed exciting times."

[Ed from WA]

hey Bucks.
Just reading thru your week,do i get the feeling tania cant cook?
or do you just like eating out?
good luck pies.

[Black_White]

HaHa....Ed, have you seen Tania?

She doesn't need to cook.

-Craig